Photos: Cassy Seguin
FRENCH RIVER – Graydon Guthrie’s third goal of the game, coming just over three minutes into overtime, lifted the Espanola Paper Kings to a 7-6 triumph over the French River Rapids Saturday in a high-scoring Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League affair at Noelville Arena.
Espanola needed less than a minute to score when Cameron Menard tipped in a Brayden Westberry wrister from the left point while situated between the circles, in beating French River starter Carter Vicente.
The Paper Kings then tacked on a pair of tallies from Guthrie to take a 3-0 lead into the intermission.
Guthrie buried a Grant Booth feed from in close on his initial marker, then finished off a Menard pass for his second.
On the power play heading to the middle stanza, Daniil Grishachev used a slight toe-drag in the left circle and wired an attempt by Espanola’s Jack Helkie, to put the home side on the board.
French River then pulled to within one at 5:27 when Gavin Haslam moved in from the point and fired a shot that hit off the skate of a defender and banked in.
Going back up by a pair, the Paper Kings clicked on a power play thanks to Grant Booth kicking the puck up from his skate to his stick, then snapped a shot over the blocker of Vicente.
Restoring their three-goal lead late in the frame, Espanola’s Jack Anderson forced a turnover and set-up Ashton Pitawanakwat going to the net where he made a couple of crafty dekes before tucking the puck into the bottom left corner.
Battling back once more, the Rapids potted a pair in the first 10 minutes of the third to get back to within one.
Michael Christopoulos made it 5-3 on the power play as he tipped in a Cameron Jansa attempt at 5:18.
French River then added another just over a minute later thanks to a tally credited to Bryson Villeneuve.
Up a skater after that, Dominic Bzdyl made a move up high and cut into the slot where he pumped one top shelf to tie it.
Still pressing, the Rapids took the lead as Christopoulos stuffed in a cross-crease feed from Sergy Suschenko.
Coming back to force extra time, the Paper Kings’ Menard converted on a power play with 4:30 to go as he guided in a rebound with a backhand off an Aiden Pethick point blast.
In OT, Espanola capped off the goal-filled result when Booth powered his way out of the corner and while spinning fired a shot that was stopped, but Guthrie was right there to slam in the game-winner and end it.
